Unexpected Guardian
by Apple'sBreem
Summary: Fourteen-year-old Kirin Volkov never believed in aliens. She's a scientist, and belief in such things was ridiculous! Yep, she absolutely did not believe in the extraterrestrial. That is, until she's saved by one. (Cliffjumper, plus a few others are not dead because I like them too much)(Do not own Transformers Prime characters)
1. Chapter 1

Fourteen-year-old Kirin Volkov never believed in aliens. She's a scientist, and belief in such things was ridiculous! Yep, she absolutely did not believe in the extraterrestrial. That is, until she's saved by one.

(Cliffjumper, plus a few others not dead because I like them too much)(Do not own Transformers Prime characters)

* * *

Kirin stared out the window of her father's red and black Ford F-150, and watched as the distant mesas drifted in and out of sight.

 _Why did we have to move to Nevada?_ _Oh, yeah, because the chemical hazard I call a brother_ _got_ kicked out _of school_ , _again_ _._ Kirin turned away from the window and shot a brief glare at her older brother (though sometimes it was hard to believe that he was older than her) before turning back to the window. Even though Kirin was upset about the move, she couldn't be completely blame Ian for the fight that got him kicked out of his old school. The teen had insulted their parents, mainly their father because of his slight accent. Besides, moving wouldn't be so bad, she'd be able to get new soil and mineral and plant samples for her experiments.

Kirin was suddenly jerked out of her thoughts by a jab to her shoulder and a "Hey, Rin?"

Turning away from the window, again, she looked at her brother. "What?"

"What do you think Jasper's going to be like?"

Kirin shrugged and crossed her arms. "I don't know. Hopefully it won't be like Anchorage."

Damian nodded in agreement. "Yeah."

A laugh from the driver's seat drew their attentions to the front of the truck, to their father Damon.

Their father, Damon Volkov, was Russian by birth but immigrated to the U.S., where he eventually met their mother. He has short, black hair and ice-blue eyes, and stood at a height of 6' 9''. Both Damian and her got their hair from their father, but underneath, Kirin's hair had streaks of dark brown that she had inherited from their mother. Small scars flaked the left side of his neck and jaw, and a larger, much longer, scar marred his right arm, stretching from the curve of his shoulder to just above his elbow.

Kirin raised a brow. "What's so funny, dad?" she asked.

Her father smirked, and said, "Nothing, nothing! It's just that you're mother and I said the same things over the phone last night, that's all."

"Before or after you guys threatened to kill each other?" asked Damian.

"After." their father said simply, making Kirin shake her head and roll her eyes.

Their parents had a very unusual relationship. They loved each other so much that they hated it - and their dad had the scar on his back to prove it. When their parents first met everything was fine. But when their feelings for each other got stronger and the two started dating, things got violent. Not violent enough to kill, just enough to be in the hospital for a few days. What their mother did during their wedding is how their dad got the scar on his back. She stabbed him in the back. He had to spend the first few days of their honeymoon in the hospital. The only time the two of them were actually nice to one another was when her or Damian were around or when their grandparents on their mother's side came all the way from Japan to visit. Surprisingly, even though they try to kill each other, they never cheat on or threaten to divorce each other.

Kirin rolled her eyes and shook her head. "Dad, you and mom are cra-!" Her right hand flew to her mouth to try and stifle the coughs. Kirin hunched over as the assault continued. Next thing she knew, Damian was right beside her, a hand rubbing soothing circles on her back whilst the other handed her a bottle of water. She gratefully took the bottle and sipped the water until the coughs subsided. Her dad shot her a worried look before turning back to the road.

"You've been coughing more and more these days, Kirin. I'm going to make a doctor's appointment when we get to the house."

"Dad, I'm fine! It's just a sore throat. It'll go away once I take a few cough drops."

He shot her a look, and said, "Kirin, your mother will very well have my head if I don't make an appointment."

Groaning, and shooting a glare at Damian when she heard him snicker, she nodded finally. "Fine."

~ %$~

Four and a half hours later, they reached our house in Jasper.

It was better than their old house in Alaska, she realized. Two stories, three bedrooms, two baths and a good sized back yard, and it was only four blocks from the school Damian would be attending the rest of his senior year - unless he blows something up or sends someone to the hospital, again.

 _Glad I'm done with school - that is, until I find a college I want to go to when I get a bit older._ She thought, following her father and brother up the path that lead to the front door. Kirin mentally cringed when she remembered what would happen when they stepped through the front door.

Kirin, unlike her brother, had graduated high school at the age of twelve, but continued to expand her knowledge under her mother's tutelage and through her own experiments. She wanted to be a scientist, like their mother, whilst Damian wanted to be a weapons designer, like their father.

Speaking of their father, he had just opened the front door...when mom's frying pan came flying at his head. Kirin and Damian dropped to the ground to avoid being hit. Dad moved to the side and grabbed the pan by the handle as it went by, a frown on his face. It was fake, though, they could tell.

"Damn it! Why can't you ever stay still, you bloody Russian!" cursed their mother.

Kirin looked up and saw her mother, she was standing with her arms crossed in the kitchen doorway, gray eyes narrowed and her signature scowl etched on her face. It was gone as fast as it had appeared when she noticed her and Damian crouched on the ground, and was replaced with a look of curiosity.

"Why're you guys on the floor?"

Kirin pointed up at the frying pan, their mother gave them a nod then walked over to them, took the pan away from their father, and walked back into the kitchen without a word, but not before she 'accidentally' smacked their father on the cheek with the frying pan. Hard. Kirin grimaced, and felt Damian flinch beside her, when she heard the sickening _smack_.


	2. Chapter 2

(Oh, and I forgot to mention earlier, this all takes place a week before Darkness Rising Pt. 1)

* * *

Kirin's new room wasn't very different from her old room in Anchorage (except it had more space). The walls were painted different shades of violet-blue (with darkest at the top and lightest at the bottom) with white trim, her ceiling was painted to mimic the night sky in winter (again, her mother's handiwork), and her floor was dark gray swirled black carpet. Setting her family picture on her nightstand, she walked over to her dresser, carrying her suitcase over, and began unpacking her clothes and books.

As Kirin finished putting away her things, her mother's voice sounded from the doorway.

"Do you like your new room, Rin _?_ "

Tucking her suitcase between her dresser and wall, Kirin turned and smiled at her mother.

"I do."

Kirin's mother, Amaya, like her father, was an immigrant - and both talked in their native language most of the time at home. She stood at 5'10'' and has dark brown hair and steel-gray eyes - eyes that she passed onto Damian. Sometimes, Kirin wished she had her mother's eyes, or her father's. Instead, she inherited Grandma Volkov's silver-flecked green eyes. Her mother was half-Japanese and half-American (she looked more American, but you could still tell she had Asian blood), and immigrated to the U.S. in her early twenties, where she met Kirin's father six years later. Why she immigrated? She said it was because she wanted to get away from her parents, and because she just wanted to.

Her mother nodded and walked over to her, and embraced her, bending slightly to rest her cheek on Kirin's head. "You still mad at your brother?" she said, pulling back to look Kirin in the eye.

Kirin frowned, then shook her head. "No. What he did was a logical reaction - even though he could've just told a teacher." She mumbled the last part, but she knew her mother heard her.

Her mother chuckled, and pressed a small kiss to her forehead. "True," she said, turning back towards the hall. "Get some sleep, your appointment is at two, tomorrow."

Kirin groaned, she'd almost forgotten about _that_. She nodded, and said, "Goodnight, mom."

Her mom smiled over her shoulder, and closed the door.

Sighing mentally, Kirin looked over at her clock. 9:01 p.m. _Yep_ , she thought, _definitely time to head to bed._ Walking over to her dresser, Kirin pulled out her favorite pair of pajamas, and changed out, throwing her old clothes in the hamper when she was done. Exiting her room, Kirin made her way to the bathroom at the end of the hall - but not before she poked her head in Damian's room to see what he was doing. He was already in bed, so Kirin turned off his light and continued on her way. When Kirin got to the bathroom, she pulled her toothbrush and the toothpaste from the cupboard. And after she was done, Kirin put her things away and turned off the bathroom light, pulling the door closed behind her, and walked back to her room.

Climbing into bed, Kirin looked up at her ceiling and, for a moment, let herself believe she was back in Anchorage, looking up at the night sky from her bedroom window, watching the snow fall...She smiled at the memory, then frowned. Snow. She would never see snow again (at least, until their Christmas trip to Takayama to visit her grandparents). It was just too warm. Snow was the only thing she liked about Anchorage (other than the libraries), and knowing that she would never be able to experience the cold it brought again saddened her, too.

Suddenly, Kirin was jostled from her thoughts by the sound of screeching tires, roaring engines and blaring sirens. Pushing the covers back, Kirin darted over to her window. She got there just as a red 1969 Dodge Charger with bull horns (she had studied car engineering a while back) raced past her house, with several cops giving chase. Several of her neighbors, she noticed, had turned their lights on and where looking out the window just as she was because of the commotion. Some even yelled.

Closing her curtains, Kirin turned away from her window and climbed back into bed. Turning on her side, her back facing the window, she closed her eyes. _Maybe this place won't be so boring, after all,_ she thought, then drifted off to sleep.

\- #$-

The next morning, like every other morning before the move, Kirin woke up to the sound of her alarm clock and her parents's cursing. Pressing the snooze button, Kirin threw off her covers and got changed before heading downstairs for breakfast. Just as she made her way into the kitchen, she was grabbed by her wrist and pulled into the side hallway that lead to her parents's room, the other bathroom and the laundry room. Reacting on instinct, Kirin reached back and grabbed the person's wrist and elbow, twisted around and threw the person down the hall. Her attacker landed with a loud thud, and moaned in pain. Kirin crossed her arms across her chest and glared. "Nice try, Damian," she said. Her brother just groaned in response, and stayed slumped on the floor.

With the time it took for Damian to pick himself off the floor, and for her parents to stop fighting long enough to leave their room, Kirin had already made everybody breakfast. Blueberry pancakes (with whatever toppings they chose) with a side of jelly toast and a glass of milk. When everybody had finally settled down at the dining table, her father had patted her on the head and thanked her - as did her mother and brother.

"Just to let you all know," her mother said suddenly. "A friend of mine and her son will be stopping by this afternoon around six, so if anybody goes anywhere," Kirin looked down at her plate when her mother shot her a look before continuing. "Please be back before then."

Kirin nodded, and said, "OK, mom."


	3. Chapter 3

Kirin's doctors appointment had been uneventful - well, not entirely. She _had_ "accidentally" kicked the doctor's stool out from under him when her mother wasn't looking - the act got her an approved smile. They both hated going to the doctor. Her mother more than her. Especially after the incident four years ago...

"Just a respiratory infection - nothing too serious, Mrs. Volkov," the doctor said, then he gave her mother a prescription for some medicine and shooed them out the door and called in the next patient.

The ride home was equally uneventful - save for the phone call from her mother's friend saying that her and her son weren't going to make it until next week. They stopped at the pharmacy to get her medicine then continued on home. When they got there, they discovered that - after finding a note written by Damian on the fridge - her father and brother had decided to have an unexpected Boys Night Out, and wouldn't be back until a little after ten. Kirin and her mother did the only thing they could. They had a Movie Night (since Kirin was sick, and couldn't leave the house - save for a return trip to the doctor's office if her condition got worse). Currently, the two of them were snuggled up on the love seat watching Mighty Joe Young and eating popcorn. When the movie ended, Kirin went over to put in a different movie when she heard the tell-tale sound of police sirens and screeching tires approaching. She didn't even have time to shield her eyes when a familiar 1969 Dodge Charger, and its law-abiding pursuers, raced by in a blur of color. It gave her a small headache.

"And here I thought Jasper was going to be a quiet town."

Kirin didn't flinch - she was used to her mother popping up out of no where.

"At least it won't be boring," she said, and turned away. Looking down, Kirin saw that her mother had already replaced the Mighty Joe Young DVD with a disk from their Land of The Lost collection, so she went back and curled up on her spot on the love seat, and waited for her mom. Her mom sat down a few moments later, she pulled Kirin close before playing the movie.

"I was scared, you know," her mother said, suddenly. "I was afraid that it was going to be something bad like before."

Kirin sighed, scooting closer. "That was four years ago, mom."

Her mom's grip on her tightened. "...I just don't want to lose you."

Kirin could almost feel her mother's fear. It didn't surprise her, though. It made sense that her mother would be afraid, the incident four years ago wasn't the only time her mother had come close to losing her due to a serious ailment. The first time it had happened, she had got a really bad case of pneumonia when she was four and a-half months pregnant with Kirin and Damian. It landed her in the hospital for weeks, and she _almost_ had a miscarriage. Then there was the incident four years ago, when Kirin was diagnosed with a brain tumor - it nearly killed her but luckily the treatments had worked and she made a full recovery. Laying her head against her mother's shoulder, Kirin breathed in the scent of her mother's homemade perfume, eyes closed: strawberries and something else she couldn't quite make out - she never could - she didn't have the nose for the stuff. Kirin mentally shrugged, _oh well,_ she thought.

The two of them stayed like this long after the movie was over, and a while longer after her father and brother came home. Kirin pulled away from her mom's side, said goodnight and fell in step behind Damian as the two of them walked up the stairs to their rooms. No sooner had the two of them reached the top, the familiar sound of things falling to the kitchen floor with a clang stopped them dead. Groaning, Kirin waved goodnight to her brother, and walked into her room and shut the door.

* * *

Kirin woke to the sound of someone prodding her awake. She opened her eyes, only to see Damian leaning over her. Narrowing her eyes, Kirin sat up and yawned.

"What do you want, Damian?"

A smile spread across his face, it was the kind of smile that told Kirin that her twin found a way to get them into big trouble.

"Guess what I found out when dad and I were at K.O. Burgers?" he asked hurriedly.

Kirin crossed her arms, and said, "What?"

Her brother's stupid smile broadened. Not good.

"They have night racing!"

Kirin was sure her eyes were as wide as saucers, then narrowed into a heated glare. Night racing meant trouble, and trouble followed Damian around like a lost puppy.

"Don't you even think about it, Damian Volkov!" she hissed, throwing her covers off. "Don't you remember what I did to you the last time you participated in such races?! No? Well then, let me remind you-!" Her fist connected with his gut - not hard enough to knock him out, just enough to leave him winded -, sending him to the floor in a black heap beside her bed. Looking down at him, Kirin sighed deeply, closing her eyes and shaking her head. Why did she have to have an such idiot for a brother? Let alone as a twin? Made no sense.

"Look, Damian," she began, slowly. "The last time you went night racing, mom and dad almost found out - and you were almost caught by the police. Do you really want to do this, again?"

Damian picked himself off the ground, clutching his gut. "Come on, Rin, just **one** race?!"

Kirin shook her head. "No."

Damian gave her his famous 'beg face'.

Kirin closed her eyes, and groaned. "Fine," she said, and held up her index finger. "Just **one** race! If anything goes wrong - and mom and dad find out - you're taking the wrap." No sooner had she said that, Damian wrapped his arms around her, and pulled her into a tight embrace. Kirin rolled her eyes in annoyance.

"All right, Mr. Hazard, that's enough hugging." She pushed her brother away and pointed towards the door. "Meet me out front in five minutes, I need to grab some things." Damian nodded his head vigorously and headed for the door.

After he left, Kirin face palmed and pinched the bridge of her nose in frustration. "I'm going to regret doing this." She said, and proceeded to get around for the race.


	4. Chapter 4

"Alright, the ghost's clear, come on." whispered Damian, motioning over his shoulder.

Kirin followed close behind, looking over her shoulder every once in a while to make sure they weren't being followed. "Clear back he-!." She quickly pulled her brother into an alley, both pressed up against the alley's brick wall as a red Charger drove by. When the car passed, Kirin let out a breath of relief she hadn't realized she was holding in. "That was close," she whispered.

Damian just nodded his head, and they continued down the block a ways, until he stopped again.

"What's wrong, Ian? Cops?"

Damian shook his head. Kirin peered past her brother's shoulder to see what he was staring at. Her eyes widened in shock and her blood felt like ice at what she saw. Straight ahead, in the shadows of an alley a little ways up the road, was the blood-red Charger that had passed them just a few minutes ago. The car's lights were off and the engine was dead.

Damian stepped back to stand beside her. "Do you think the driver's in the car?"

Kirin shrugged. "I don't know. I didn't hear any doors closing." She looked at her brother, then said, "Do you want to risk it, or do you want to head back home?" She hoped he would pick the latter.

Damian shook his head. "The driver's probably not even in the car - lets risk it." Then took off down the street.

Kirin mentally groaned. _Of course,_ she thought, and walked after her bullheaded brother. She made a mental note to take a page from her mom's book, and beat her brother with a frying pan (not violently, though) when they both got home - even though such an action was deemed illogical in her mind. But, it'd be worth it.

-&#$-

It didn't take long to find the race track. It was an forest road leading out of town. Several cars and a dozen spectators were already there, and one or two of the spectators, Kirin noticed, were undercover cops. It was easy to tell by the way they carried themselves and their eyes: confident, slightly arrogant, nervous free, alert, and searching. Also, one of made the mistake of reaching for their sidearm that wasn't there when someone tapped on their shoulder, and made it look like they were reaching for their phone. Kirin and Damian took places a few feet from the finish line; Kirin was leaning against the trunk of a tree, and Damian was sitting on the ground nearby - both kept an eye on the cops present.

"So, the cops decided to come and play," hummed Damian. "should be interesting if they decide to make a move tonight."

Kirin nodded, then said, "Did you scope out the competition?"

"Don't I always?" he chimed, then pointed to a dark red Aston Martin. "That Aston Martin biggest has a pretty big chance of winning," He then motioned to a black muscle car next to the Martin. "But that muscle car also has a good chance - the rest are as good as scrap metal."

Kirin looked at the Martin, and felt a chill run down her spine. She narrowed her eyes at the car, something wasn't right. Leaving the tree cover, Kirin sat down an six and a-half feet away from the road.

The race started with a loud whistle, and the drivers tore off down the road.

Suddenly, Damian shouted, "KIRIN **!** " Before Kirin could respond, she was pulled backwards sharply by the collar of her shirt, landing right beside Damian.

"He was almost _hit you_! I AM GOING TO KILL THAT GUY!" snarled Damian, jumping to his feet.

Kirin sat up slowly. "Who?" Her voice was barely a whisper.

"The owner of that freaking muscle car!" hissed Damian, plopping down on the grass next to her. He then began checking her over for injuries. "You hurting anywhere?" he asked, looking at her neck.

Kirin shook her head. "No, I'm OK."

"I'm going to kill to kill him, Rin," said Damian, looking down at his hands. "Nobody attempts to hit my sister and gets away with it."

Blinking again, Kirin gave her brother a small smile, and pressed their foreheads together, closing her eyes. "Don't bother, Ian, he isn't worth it," she said, pulling away and looking him in the eye. "Besides, after that, I want to go home."

Damian smiled back at her and rose to his feet, then helped Kirin onto hers. "Lets go home, Rin."

* * *

Cliffjumper made a mental note to never again power down momentarily in an alley while on patrol ever again. Because where did it get him? Spray painted by a bunch of trouble-making kids!

 _This is probably that karma Arcee said I had coming,_ he thought begrudgingly. Cliffjumper hated it when his friend was right about these things. And all he did was toy around with the police where ever he went, and whenever he got back to Jasper (even though it got him a lash from Ratchet and a lecture from Optimus every time). Cliffjumper's thoughts were abruptly interrupted when he saw two small figures walking his way. Quickly transforming, he backed up slightly in the alley he was occupying, and hoped they wouldn't see him. Bad enough he got laughed at by the kids that defaced his alt. mode and not being allowed to do anything about it, he didn't need to be laughed at by two more. Unfortunately, they did see him, but when they saw the graffiti paint all over him, they didn't laugh like he expected them to. Instead, they just shook their heads and whispered somethings to each other too soft for his audio receptors to pick up. Then, the two of them immediately took off down the block after hearing the tell-tale sounds of police sirens, leaving Cliffjumper alone.

Pulling out of the ally a ways, Cliffjumper watched as the kids rounded a street corner, and disappeared from sight. _That was fast,_ he thought, pulling the rest of the way out of the ally. He was almost tempted to follow the kids - almost - but decided against it and took off in the opposite direction. Looking at his chronometer, Cliffjumper groaned. It was late, really late. Then he checked his comm. link, and groaned, again. Several missed calls from Arcee, Ratchet and Prime. They were going to chew him up when he got back.

Bye, bye freedom.


	5. Chapter 5

Kirin and Damian have an unusual stalker.

* * *

"What do you think school's going to be like, Rin?" Damian hummed, tapping his chin in thought.

Kirin shrugged. "I don't know - it depends on if you send anybody to the hospital."

It was six in the morning and Kirin, not wanting her brother to get sidetracked, decided to walk with Damian to his new school. It was too early for any kids in their neighborhood to be up, but Kirin found the peace and quiet very calming - especially after last night. Speaking of which...looking out of the corner of her eye, Kirin saw a quick flash of red before it disappeared. She was pretty sure it was the Charger, but what she couldn't figure out was if the driver of said car was following them or it was just coincidence.

Damian frowned at her. "Still there?"

Kirin nodded, crossing her arms. "Uhuh, it's been following us ever since we left the house. It's starting to bug me, Ian."

"Want me to find it and blow it up after school?"

Kirin shook her head. "Thanks, but no, it's probably just a coincidence," she said. "Besides, mom would have you cleaning the house for a month - and last time I checked, she also took away all of your building privileges." Looking over her shoulder, Kirin smirked. "I'll deal with it when the times right."

The two of them walked the rest of the way in silence. As they got closer to, they started to see a few more students driving or walking towards the two story brick building. When they finally stood in front of the build, a handful of students were scattered everywhere: two talking on the steps, three under the tree by the stairs, and another typing something on a computer on the lawn by the sidewalk. Suddenly, Damian threw off his backpack and dropped to the ground, using the pack as a makeshift pillow. Kirin rolled her eyes, but didn't question him, and sat down next to his head.

"So, when do you have to head back?" yawned Damian.

Kirin shrugged, then moved her head to lay down on her brother's stomach. "Not until eleven." she said, closing her eyes. "Mom's going to drop by then to give me a project to work on. Oh, yeah, before I forget - Mom said that she and dad are going to be working late tonight, so we're going to have the house to ourselves."

Damian sighed and nodded, a smile on his face. "So, does that mean we can order pizza?"

Kirin chuckled, sitting up. "Yeah - but you're paying for it, Ian - seeing as I paid for the pizza the last time. And remember, if you order the Hawaiian and Meat Lovers Combo, again, I will use you in my next experiment."

Her brother ruffled her hair, and Kirin didn't need to look at him to know that he was smiling in amusement. "I know, sis, I know. Besides, we wouldn't want you to get fat."

-#$%-

Cliffjumper laughed when the boy was punched lightly - at least, he hoped - in the gut and rolled onto his side, a laughing smile on his face. His gaze suddenly shifted to the girl when she stood up and stomped off, Cliffjumper smirked internally. _Must have said something she didn't like._ _She's almost like the human version of Arcee._

 _"Cliff."_

Cliffjumper chuckled. _Speak of the devil._ "What's up, partner?" he hummed through his comm.

 _"Where are you? Noticed you weren't in the Rec. Room - or anywhere else in the base. Are you messing with the police, again?"_ Cliffjumper could hear the edge in his friend's voice. It promised pain if he was doing anything reckless.

He chuckled, driving slowly down the street after the fuming girl. "No, Arcee, but that is on the itinerary for this evening, as usual."

 _"Cliff, you know the rules."_ sighed Arcee.

Once again, Cliffjumper chuckled, "And when has that ever stopped me from giving the local law enforcers a good exercise?"

That earned him an aggravated sigh from the blue femme. If he were back at base, Cliffjumper was sure that Arcee would glare at him, right before she would clocked him upside the head, and call him an immature sparkling.

 _"Can you at least_ try _to get back to base at reasonable time? Without a new paint job, preferably."_ Then, the line went dead.

Cliffjumper mentally frowned at that. When he had gotten back to base last night, Bulkhead, Bumblebee and Arcee had laughed at him because of the graffiti that decorated his body. After he got the paint removed (it took four hours of scrubbing in the wash racks to get it off), Prime had lectured him about how it was their job to protect the humans, not toy with them. Then Ratchet dragged him into the med bay for the systems checkup he had been putting off for quite awhile.

Suddenly, Cliffjumper was roused from his musings when he noticed two quick flashes of purple from the corner of his optics.

Vehicons. And they were coming right at him.

Cliffjumper groaned, "Well, there goes my morning."

-#$%-

Kirin grumbled and kicked a small rock by her foot, watching it roll a ways before it rolled off the sidewalk and into the road. After leaving the school grounds, Kirin decided to walk around town for a bit, so that she could get a feeling for the place. Right now, she was walking down Main Street, trying to make it to the more desolate parts of Jasper. Like before, there weren't many people driving or walking around, and a few stores were just opening up. Kirin was expecting a lot of things whilst walking around, like people asking her why she wasn't in school, but what she wasn't expecting was the Charger (now free of spray paint) speeding by her with three identical purple cars racing after it. Curiosity getting the better of her, Kirin ran after the speeding cars the best she could.

After four blocks, the chase came to a stop in a dead end alley, and Kirin made a mental note to thank her mom for their early morning jogs and mini races when she got back home when she came to a panting stop at the mouth of the alley. Taking a deep breath, Kirin poked her head around the corner. She could see the Charger at the back of the ally, bumper facing the wall, whilst the three unidentified purple cars blocked off any chance of escape. Kirin furrowed her brows in confusion. _Why aren't they getting out of their cars?_

A series of whirls and clicks suddenly erupted from the alley, surprising Kirin. But what happened next surprised her even more.

The cars _transformed._

Kirin watched in shock - with no shortage of awe - green eyes wide and glued to the Charger as it went from being a normal car to a dark gray-faced robot with neon-blue eyes. The others however, transformed into purple and black robots with white mask-like faces with red visor-like bands for eyes. The surprised gasp that escaped her lips must've been loud, because she suddenly became the center of attention.

"Scrap!" someone hissed. Kirin quickly realized it was the Charger.

Taking a small step back, Kirin looked up slightly and locked eyes with the Charger. The robot's mouth moved as he pulled his fist back: _Run, kid!_ Taking another step back, Kirin nodded, turned, then bolted down the street as fast as her legs could carry her, the sound of metal hitting metal reached her when she was halfway up the street.

Turning her second street corner, Kirin heard the sound of a car engine gaining up on her. Looking over her shoulder, her eyes widening when she saw that it wasn't the Charger but one of the purple cars. Hearing another engine - this time in front of her - Kirin looked ahead, only to see the Charger parked at the street corner with its passenger door wide open.

"Get in!" was shouted at her as she drew closer, and seeing no other choice, Kirin did just that.

After the door slammed shut and the car shot off like a bullet, her seat belt flew across her chest and locked with a click. Suddenly, a small chuckle emanated from the radio, making Kirin jump and press up against the passenger door.

"Don't worry, kid, I'm not going to hurt you. The name's Cliffjumper! What's yours?!"

She stuttered, "K-Kirin!"

"Well, Kirin, it has been a pleasure meeting you, but this is where I leave you."

The Charger - Cliffjumper - ground to a halt in front of a general store and opened the passenger door for Kirin. Clicking her seat belt off, Kirin climbed out of the robot, turning around just as he shot off again. Not wanting to take any chances, Kirin looked up and down the street, and when she didn't see any of the purple cars, dashed across the street and navigated her way back to the school where she finally slowed to a nervous walk.

"That did not just happen!" she whispered, closing the front door behind her and walking into the living room. Sitting on the couch, Kirin buried her face in her hands, and repeated. "That did not just happen!"


	6. Chapter 6

Cliffjumper's in big trouble. Ratchet gets in some target practice.

* * *

Cliffjumper ducked to dodge the wrench chucked at his head. Again.

Holding his hands up in surrender, Cliffjumper smiled sheepishly at the irate medic. "Come on, Ratch, it's not that big of a deal!"

Another wrench made its way at Cliffjumper's head. And this time, it hit it's target dead center. Cliffjumper fell back with a groan and rubbed his head with one hand, using the other to prop himself up.

"This IS a big deal, you glitch! A human has SEEN us! Why didn't you say anything the first time?!" shouted Ratchet, throwing his arms in the air.

"Ratchet, please calm down," said Optimus, stepping forward to lay a hand on his friend's shoulder. The red and white medic huffed and crossed his arms, shrugging Optimus' black hand off his shoulder.

When his leader turned to look at him, Cliffjumper was quick to get to his feet. Ready to make a quick getaway if necessary. His Prime could be really scary when he was angry. Cliffjumper silently prayed to Primus and hoped that this was not one of those instances.

Luckily, it wasn't, for when the Prime spoke, it was calm and smooth.

"Cliffjumper, can you explain what happened?"

Cliffjumper nodded. "Couple of 'Cons jumped me while I was on patrol - don't know how they found me, though. When I noticed the 'Cons in my side view, I hightailed it out of there. Next thing I know, the 'Cons have me cornered in an alley. That's when I saw - well, heard - the kid, but so did the Vehicons. I told the kid to run, she did, and socked the nearest Vehicon." Cliffjumper briefly paused to catch his breath. "By the time I was able to take out the second, the third had taken off. I transformed and gunned out of there, and as fast I could, caught up with the kid."

"What happened next?"

"Told the kid to jump in, she did, and I tore it out of there before that last Decepticreep could catch up. She introduced herself, I introduced myself, then I dropped her off in front of a store of some kind then headed back here."

Another one of Ratchet's wrenches connected with his head, and Cliffjumper fell to the ground, again, groaning and moaning in pained annoyance. The Doc really had to stop doing that before he broke something up there. Cliffjumper huffed silently, that was probably his intentions.

"What did she introduce herself as?" Optimus asked.

One hand on his head, Cliffjumper rose to his feet and looked at Optimus curiously, then said, "Kirin. Why?"

"Because we need to find her. Since that Vehicon saw her, he will no doubt report it," said Ratchet, turning to the computer console and started typing.

Cliffjumper cocked his head in confusion. "Why would the 'Cons care about a human kid?"

Another wrench, faster than the others, smacked into his head.

"Ratchet, please." Optimus said, then turned his attention towards Cliffjumper. "It is a possibility that the Decepticons will think that that human girl is allied with us, no doubt putting her in danger."

Cliffjumper nodded in understanding. "I see your point," he said, then transformed. "Permission to go find and retrieve, sir?"

"Granted, Cliffjumper."

Spinning around, Cliffjumper tore out of base and headed back to town.

* * *

Two days had gone by since she saw the Charger and those other robots, and that sat well with Kirin, she wasn't in a hurry for a reunion with either one. But, she couldn't deny the small part of her that actually did want to see the Charger again, she had a lot of questions. Suddenly, a small hand was waved in her face.

"Kirin, you OK?"

Pinching the bridge of her nose, Kirin sighed and looked down at her little brown-eyed companion, and said, "Yeah, I'm fine, Raf. Just have a lot on my mind."

The twelve-year-old just nodded up at her, then turned back to the parts of a dissembled controller in front of him. Kirin had been introduced to Raf yesterday, when his mom had dropped him off after school. His mom and her's were had been close friends when Kirin's mom had first immigrated to the U.S., but had lost contact with each other shortly after Kirin's mom moved to Alaska. They had renewed their friendship, though, when the two of them run into each other at the super market. Her mom had agreed to watch Raf for a few hours but then she had been called into work suddenly, and had asked Kirin to take over, since dad was still at work and Damian was at the library studying. She'd said yes, and the two of them quickly became friends. Her and Raf had spent several hours talking, dissembling and rebuilding whatever they could (like the poor toy car controller on the kitchen counter), and watching T.V.

When her mom had got back, it was late, and Raf was passed out on the coach, with Kirin almost passed out next to him. Her mother had shaken her awake and complimented her on her good work, and asked if she would watch Raf tomorrow. Kirin nodded and mumbled a "Yes.", and fell asleep.

"Hey, Rin, was it hard - you know, being the youngest kid in your class?"

Kirin shrugged, smiling. "Sometimes, but I had my teachers and Damian to keep me company? Why do you ask?"

Rafael shook his head, fitting on the front of the controller. "Just wondering."

Kirin chuckled and ruffled her friends hair, then slid off her stool when the door bell rang.

"That's probably your mom," she said, grabbing his backpack off the counter to her right, and slinging it over her shoulder. Turning to Raf, she helped him off his stool and handed him his backpack and controller.

Walking to the door, Kirin looked into the peep hole then opened the door, Raf's mom smiled at her, Kirin smiled back at her.

"Hello, Kirin, is Rafael ready?"

"I'm ready, mama." he said.

Kirin stepped back to let Raf pass her, then bowed and said, "It's nice seeing you again, Mrs. Esquivel." Then stood back to full height, and waved good-bye to Raf, who reciprocated the gesture. As she watched her new friend walk away, a flash of red caught her eye, making her freeze. When Raf and his mom had driven away, Kirin looked at the Charger parked down the street a ways. It had been there since yesterday afternoon, before and after she had walked with Damian back to the house, disappearing for a few hours only to come back. Kirin knew that she couldn't tell her parents or Damian - they wouldn't believe her, so she kept it to herself. A sudden honk roused her from her musings. Looking up, she saw that the Charger had moved from being parked by the curb, to being in her drive way.

Curiosity got the better of her.

Slipping on her shoes, Kirin made her way tentatively towards the car, ready to bolt if need be.

"You do know stalking's against the law, right?" she said, crossing her arms and cocking her head.

The car's driver side door opened, making Kirin take a step back.

"Nice to see you too, Kirin. Now, you going to get in or what? There are a few people who want to meet you."

Kirin narrowed her eyes. "Why?"

The car - Cliffjumper, if she remembered correctly - chuckled, "You want answers, right?"

Kirin bit her lip, and nodded.

"Then get in. I swear on my spark that no harm will come to you, and I'll bring you straight back here after everything's cleared up." assured Cliffjumper, moving a bit closer.

Trust your gut. That's what her father always told her to do whenever she was unsure of something. And it never failed her. And right now, her gut was telling her to get in. _Good thing mom and dad are working late, again, and that Damian has Robotics Club_ , she thought. Looking at the robot, Kirin slowly stepped forward and climbed in, clicking her seat belt on.

"I need to be home before nine."

"Of course," Cliffjumper said, closing his door. Kirin could picture the smile that would go with his words, and she soon found herself smiling.

* * *

 ** _Very sorry for the late update. School's been a nightmare._**


	7. Chapter 7

Kirin meets the team.

* * *

Kirin looked at each robot in turn, taking in their appearances and anything else her brain deemed important, as she stepped out of Cliffjumper. The red robot transformed and stood beside her - and even though Kirin would never admit it, she was glad that he did so. It was comforting to have a familiar presence nearby. Suddenly, the largest of the bots, stepped forward. Kirin looked up at the red and blue robot, locking her green eyes with his blue ones.

"What are you?" she said.

The bot dropped down on to one knee in front of her, not breaking eye contact for a minute.

"We are autonomous robotic organisms from the planet Cybertron, and I am Optimus Prime, leader of the Autobots." The bot - Optimus - stood then motioned to Cliffjumper beside her, and said, "You already know Cliffjumper," He then waved his hand over at the only female robot, and a large army-green robot. "These two are Arcee and Bulkhead, and this," Optimus stepped aside to reveal a scowling red and white robot, and a bright-eyed yellow bot, then said, "is Ratchet and Bumblebee."

Kirin smirked when Ratchet just huffed and turned his back to her, then looked back up at Optimus. "Why are you here?"

"We are here to protect you're planet from our enemies, the Decepticons."

Rem cocked her head and raised a brow. "Decepticons?"

"The purple bots that chased us."

Kirin looked up at Cliffjumper briefly, then said, "And why are they here? To terminate you guys?"

Optimus suddenly knelt down in front of her, making Kirin take a step back, then said, "They are here because our planet is uninhabitable - ravaged by centuries of civil war."

Kirin nodded and stared at the ground, arms crossed. "That is logical...No point in living on a dead planet." Then added, "But why am I here?"

"You were seen by our enemies the day you met Cliffjumper." Optimus nodded up at the red bot beside her, then said, "And, while Cliffjumper managed to deal with the majority, one Decepticon was able to make his way back to their base - he no doubt reported his findings -"

"- and they'll think I'm with you guys." finished Kirin.

She sighed, and shook her head, then reached up and rubbed her temple. "Mom was right," Kirin said. "My curiosity did get me into trouble. Hate it when she's right." Kirin kept her gaze glued to the ground. "What happens now?"

"Cliffjumper will act as your guardian until we are sure the Decepticons will not come after you - or your family."

Kirin chuckled and looked up at Cliffjumper. "Well, looks like you're my permanent stalker now. Should be interesting."

A broad smile broke out across Cliffjumper's steel-gray face as he feigned a look of hurt. Placing a dark hand to his chest, he said, "I'm hurt! Stalker is such a strong word."

Kirin huffed, and rolled her eyes. "Fits you just fine, Cliff."

* * *

"See you tomorrow, Cliff." Kirin said, stepping out of the 'bot.

"I'll be by to pick you up at noon."

Kirin nodded, then turned and walked up her driveway, listening to the sound of Cliffjumper's engine as he moved down the street a ways. Opening the door, Kirin slipped her shoes off and placed them beside the mat, then headed for the kitchen. Damian would be home in an hour and it was her turn to cook. Rummaging through the cupboards, Kirin grabbed the necessary ingredients for a medium-sized dish of lasagna. Forty-five minutes later, she was pulling the steaming dish from the oven. The heard the front door open, and Kirin immediately recognized Damian's voice, but then she heard another voice. Laying the plates on the counter, Kirin walked out of the kitchen. She was instantly on alert when she saw a stranger, a boy with black hair and dark blue eyes, probably sixteen or seventeen years old, talking to her brother. Kirin was always wary of strangers at first. Well, human strangers at least. Damian must've heard her coming, because her brother turned and smiled at her.

"Hey, Rin!" he said, meeting her half-way and pulling her into a hug.

Kirin returned the hug, keeping her eyes on the boy behind Damian. "You're home early, Ian."

"Robotics ended early," Damian said. Kirin could practically hear the smile in his voice.

Pulling away, Kirin nodded at him. "Who's he?"

"Jack Darby, he goes to my school. He's a _friend_."

Damian knew well enough how Kirin was wary of new people, and Kirin was glad that he did; it made sure that they didn't have a repeat of the store incident from four Christmases ago. That was the first of three times Kirin sent someone to the hospital because they did or said something that reminded her of _that night_. Kirin nodded, then turned on her heel, heading back towards the kitchen; she needed to get another plate from the cupboard.

* * *

That night, Kirin had the nightmare, again. It was the first time she had it in _years_.

 _It was the same every time. She was back in her grandparents' house (her father's parents) in Moscow, Russia, hiding. Kirin remembered feeling happy at that moment. Then there was yelling, and she instantly felt afraid. She covered her ears and closed her eyes in a failed attempt to block the sounds out. Then she heard her grandmother scream as a gunshot went off. Something heavy hit the ground four feet in front of the closet door, and she whimpered when she saw the familiar blue-and-white sweater. Another gunshot, and she would've screamed if something deep down told her to choke it down. She could still feel the hot tears that had streaked her face._

 _Kirin nearly jumped out of her skin when the front door slammed shut. She waited for what seemed like hours - and it probably was - until she finally worked up the courage to crawl out of the closet. Everything blurred from there._

 _Next thing she knew, she was being held by someone who wasn't her mom or dad. They were wrapping her in a blanket, and she was shaking, but whether it was from the cold or from fear she couldn't remember - nor did she even care. Then she turns, and she sees it. Her grandma's body being put in the black body bag. Kirin didn't even stop it this time. She screamed._

Kirin woke up to her father holding her. She buried her face in his chest, and cried for the first time in eight years.

She had been only six when her grandparents had been murdered, and she still remembered. She wished that she didn't. The police never found the killer. Her family never went back to Russia after that, not even to visit the graveyard where they had laid her grandparents to rest. And they never talked about it, either.

Before she fell asleep from exhaustion, Kirin only hoped that Cliffjumper hadn't heard her.

* * *

 **So very sorry for the VERY late update on this story. Between trying to update my other stories and school, just haven't found the time until now. Yep.**


	8. Chapter 8

Kirin opens up, and three new humans join the party.

* * *

 **This chapter is set after Darkness Rising Pt. 1. The bots got there in time to save Cliffjumper.**

* * *

"So, Rin, is your mom always that violent towards your dad?"

Kirin smirked. "No. But don't worry about it - that's natural for them."

"Oh! OK, then...are all human couples like that?"

She shook her head. "Not that I know of. As far as I know, my parents are the only ones that express their love to one another that way."

Two days have passed since Kirin dreamt about the night her grandparents were murdered. And, like she had feared, Cliffjumper had heard her. When her red guardian had asked what had happened, Kirin told him that it was just a bad dream that she didn't want to talk about right now. Cliffjumper told her that when she was ready to talk, he would listen. That had made Kirin smile. It was good to know that someone outside her family cared.

"That's love?!" spluttered Cliffjumper. "It looks like they're trying to kill each other!"

Kirin nodded. "Yeah, but they really do love each other. And besides, that's nothing compared to what mom did to dad on their wedding day."

"I'm afraid to ask, but what did she do?."

"Stabbed him in the back - literally."

Cliffjumper was silent for a moment before he exploded. "OK! Your family is officially crazy in my book!"

Kirin just laughed, and it felt good. She hadn't laughed in a really long time.

* * *

"Optimus, it's bad enough that we already have to protect one human child! Now you want us to look after three more?!" snapped the irate medic, waving a silver hand down towards the new arrivals.

"There's someone else who knows about you guys?" asked Miko, hands on her hips.

Optimus nodded. He had forgotten to mention Kirin. "Yes. She has been with us for a while now. I am sorry that I didn't mention her earlier."

"Where is she?" Jack asked, stepping forward to stand by Miko.

Ratchet huffed and crossed his arms. "Cliffjumper is on his way with her right now."

"What's her name?" Raf asked, taking his spot on Miko's other side. He couldn't explain why, but he had this feeling in the pit of his stomach. Like he wasn't sure that he wanted to know the answer. It made him nervous. Before Optimus could answer, however, the sounds of a door opening and a car engine stopped him. Minutes later, a crimson-red car with bull horns drove into the room. Its passenger door clicked opened, and its passenger stepped out. Raf's brown eyes widened.

"Kirin!?"

Raf was surprised to hear Jack say his friend's name. He looked up at Jack, blue locked with brown.

"You know her, too?" Jack asked, motioning towards a wide-eyed Kirin.

Raf nodded. "Our moms know each other - and she's my friend. How do you know her?"

"I'm friends with her brother."

The two of then looked at Kirin, and were shocked to see the fourteen-year-old was chatting up a very curious Miko. They walked over.

* * *

"...Tell me how you met the 'Bots!"

Kirin took a step back when Miko got a little too close for her liking. She looked over to where Cliffjumper was talking with Arcee and Bulkhead (probably getting the update on why there were three new humans in the base), eyes wide and pleading for him to help her out of this situation. The red Cybertronian just smirked at her, as if saying "Your on your own this time, Rin!", then went back to chatting with the others. Kirin made a mental note to lecture her guardian later, then turned her attention back to Miko.

"W-well, I-I..." she frowned internally at her stutter. She always did that when she got too nervous while taking to strangers. That's when Kirin noticed just how close Miko was. "Could you please back up a bit, Miko?" Miko nodded and backed up. Kirin relaxed visibly, and told her story - somewhere in the middle, Raf and Jack showed up, but Kirin ignored them momentarily and continued. When she was finished, Kirin watched as Miko bounced over to Bulkhead, then turned around and looked at Raf and Jack.

"Miko told me what happened...sorry that you guys have to go through this too," she knelt down in front of Raf, and put her hands on the boy's shoulders. "Especially you, Raf." Raf just smiled.

"It's OK," then looked over to where Bumblebee was, the yellow scout was being looked over by Ratchet, then back at Kirin. "Besides, at least we'll have some more stuff to talk about when I'm over at your house."

Kirin nodded, and stood up. "Yeah," she said, then looked at Jack. "How are you dealing with all this, Darby?"

Jack opened his mouth to answer, but before he could, the proximity sensors went off, plunging the entire room in flashing pale green light. Kirin groaned, and pinched the bridge of her nose. _Great!_ She thought, turning around. _It's Fowler - just when I thought today couldn't hold anymore surprises._

"W-What's that?!" Jack asked.

 _"Chirp! Beep! Whir!_ "

Kirin turned slightly to translate for the two boys (she doubted any other human could understand Bumblebee's way of speech).

"Proximity sensors," Raf said. "Someone's on the roof."

Kirin blinked. Raf could understand Bumblebee too?! _But then again. Raf does spend most of his time around computers, so I guess it makes sense._ Kirin made a mental note to herself to talk about it with Raf later, then looked up at the screen.

"It's Agent Fowler," Ratchet noted, sounding a bit surprised. Which made sense, since the man wasn't due for a briefing with the 'Bots for at least a few more days. Which means he decided to come in early or something's wrong. Kirin's mind was leaning towards the latter. Fowler had only dropped by once since Kirin had met the Autobots. He had some over to complain about Cliffjumper giving the local police a run for their money, again.

"I thought we were the only humans that knew about you guys?"

Kirin paid them no mind, and walked over to stand by Cliffjumper.

"Special Agent Fowler is our designated liaison to the outside world," answered Optimus. "As he tends to visit when there are issues - it may be best that you don't meet him at this time." Kirin quickly hid behind Cliff's leg, and watched as the others pressed themselves against the wall by the stairs, as the sound of the elevator coming down alerted filled the room. She listened as the doors slid opened.

"Seven wrecks! Thirty-four fender benders! A three hour traffic jam! And a particular note, numerous reports of a speeding motorcycle of unknown make; and a black and yellow muscle car!" The government agent shouted.

 _Well, that certainly explains the trouble Cliff and I had getting here._ Kirin looked out from behind her guardian's leg, and up at the agent. He did not look happy, just like the other time he had visited. And just as crabby, too. The African American man was leaning over the yellow railing, glaring at Prime. But then hid again when Fowler looked this way. Probably to glare at Arcee.

"So, anything to get off your tin chest, Prime?!"

* * *

The ride home was a quiet one.

Kirin turned away from the window. "You OK, Cliffjumper?"

"Fine."

Kirin frowned. "What happened in that cave, Cliff?"

"Something that I don't wish to repeat, Rin."

"That sounds familiar." she murmured, looking down at her clasped hands. Looking back towards the window, Kirin watched as the mesas flitted by. The sight strangely reminded her of the first day she came to Jasper. Sighing, Kirin leaned back in her seat and closed her eyes.

"It was Christmas Eve," she started. Cliffjumper began to slow down.

"Mom and dad took Damian to the store with them that night; I was at the house with my grandparents when it happened." It was then that she began to drift.

 _"It was getting late, and grandma wanted me to go to bed. I refused, and I hid. Soon enough, my grandparents turned my hiding into a game of hide and seek - that used to be my favorite game._

 _"Three hours into the game, mom and dad and my twin still hadn't returned. I was hiding in the closet by the front door when I heard someone pounding on the back door. Someone - I don't know who - broke in and barged into the front room. My grandpa was shouting for the man...Leland, to leave. The man didn't answer, he just laughed."_

Outside her thoughts, Kirin gripped her forearms in fright, trying to stop her body from shaking.

 _"Next thing I know, a shot rings out and my grandpa falls dead just a few feet from the closet door. My grandma, pure spitfire, started cursing Leland before he shot her too. I wanted to scream...but something - maybe my instincts - made me choke it down._

 _"Then I heard footsteps. I froze, fearing that he was coming to kill me next. Surprisingly, he left through the front door instead of the back door._

 _"I stayed in that closet for hours until I worked up enough courage to crawl out, and I just sat there, in complete shock, waiting for my parents to come home and find me. Then I hear police sirens and the front door opens again, and then I was being wrapped in a blanket and being picked up by somebody. The cold night air stung - but I barely felt it, yet, I still shook. I turned, wanting to see if I could find my parents and brother - I didn't. My gaze fell on the open body bag, and I saw my grandma...I screamed then."_

Kirin sighed and opened her eyes, feeling tired and sick with grief. "They never found Leland, and my family and I gathered up everything we could and left right after the funeral. We haven't been to Russia since then. That's what my nightmare was about."

Cliffjumper remained silent, probably trying to digest everything he had just heard. Then, after a few tense minutes, her guardian spoke.

"I'm going to kill this Leland if I ever run into him. I promise you that, Rin. Now, I guess it's my turn to share."

Kirin nodded. "Yeah, and thanks, Cliff."

For the rest of the trip home, the two shared stories back to back. Some bad, some good. It felt good to finally open up to someone else, and Kirin was going to hold onto to that feeling for as long as she could.

* * *

 ** _Was finally able to update! Enjoy!_**


	9. Chapter 9

**_Out of the frying pan, and into the fire. Miko's guitar gets their cover blown._**

* * *

 ** _During Darkness Rising Part 3 and a small part of 4_**

* * *

Approaching footsteps made Kirin look up from her laptop. Looking around, she saw Ratchet exiting one of the side tunnels.

"Hey, Ratchet!" she said, then went back to typing.

The red-and-white medic just waved at her, then walked over to his microscope. "Thank goodness for peace and quiet," he said. "House guest can be such a bother."

Kirin nodded in silent agreement, not tearing her eyes away from the screen. "Yes, they can be," she said, saving her report and closing her computer.

"Shouldn't you be with Cliffjumper?" asked Ratchet, not bothering to look over at Kirin.

"He's with Prime - which gives me a chance to catch up on some of my projects."

 _Clank!_

Kirin quickly jumped to her feet, looking around. "What was that?!"

"It could just be Optimus or Cliffjumper," says Ratchet, turning away from his microscope. He tried to sound calm, but Kirin could tell that he was just as nervous as she was. Suddenly, there was a frantic clinking sound, like metal running across the floor. Then all of a sudden, something moved at the edges of Kirin's vision. She whipped around, and gasped.

"Ratchet! Look out!"

Ratchet's eyes widened in shock as the thing suddenly lunged at him. "By the All-Spark!" he shouted, moving to the side.

Kirin jumped back when the little robotic creature lunged at Ratchet, again. Looking around, Kirin spotted a pipe. "The pipe!" she shouted, trying to get the Autobot's attention. "Ratchet! The pipe!"

When the thing went for another shot, Ratchet grabbed the pipe, and swatted the thing away from him. He went to smash it, but it just jumped away and avoided both blows, darting behind one of Ratchet's tools by the microscope, slicing it off.

"I needed that!" Ratchet shouted, glaring at the thing. It just screeched and lunged at the good doctor. In his surprise, Ratchet dropped the pipe and backed away, holding up a hand to try and defend himself. Kirin closed her eyes, not wanting to see what came next. Suddenly, a shot rang out, and the thing screeched in what could've been pain. Looking up, she saw Optimus and Cliffjumper in the doorway of another tunnel. Optimus had his blaster out, the business end smoking.

"Rin!"

Kirin climbed into her guardian's hand when it was offered, and sat in his palm. Suddenly there was a whirl of gears and the sound of things clicking back into place. Cliffjumper, turned, giving Kirin a perfect view of the thing getting back up off the floor. She flinched when Optimus brought his foot down on it, killing it (hopefully).

"AND stay broken!" Ratchet growled. He then looked at Optimus. "Now what could've caused that?!"

Optimus' battle mask snaps open. Then, he says, "I have a grave suspicion, Ratchet. Dark energon."

* * *

Kirin groaned and covered her ears as Miko play her guitar. _She REALLY needs to take lessons!_ She thought, closing her eyes.

"Whoa! Whoa! Whoa!" Bulkhead suddenly says - and Kirin's glad it gets Miko's 'music' to stop. Sighing, she uncovers her ears and opens her eyes; but her heart immediately jumps into her throat when she sees the flashing green light.

"Come on!" Miko says, looking up at Bulkhead. "You can't handle raw power?"

"Proximity sensor!" snaps Cliffjumper. "Quick! Hide!"

Kirin and Raf quickly hide behind Cliffjumper's right leg, while Jack and Miko dash behind Bulkhead's left.

The elevator binged, and Kirin heard the door slide open. The unmistakable sound of Fowler's shoes came next, then his, usual, shouting: "Prime!"

"Agent Fowler, duh, he's not here!" Bulkhead says quickly, looking at Cliffjumper. "N-Nobody's here! Except Cliff and I, of course!"

"Well, where did he go?!" There was a pause. "Wait! Don't tell me! He's out pancaking a mini mall?" Kirin peered past Cliff's leg, and watched as the man walked a little ways down the catwalk before stopping at the top of the stairs. "Now," he began. "I don't know what language you bots speak on your planet; but Prime promised that he would handle the Decepticons! And blowing a crater in the middle of Nebraska is _not_ what handled means in English!" Ducking back behind Cliff's leg, Kirin felt Raf jump slightly when Miko's guitar suddenly went off several times. "You tell Prime-!" Kirin stiffened when Fowler stopped talking.

"Since when are you bots electric?"

Kirin watched as Jack shrugged and walked out from behind Bulkhead, with Miko following, and said, "Hey, how're you doing?" Taking a deep breath, Kirin laid her hand on Raf's shoulder and guided the boy out from behind Cliffjumper's leg. She looked up at follower, the government agent bowed his head slightly. Then said, "Contact with civilians! Team Prime has really gone of book this time! Wait! Don't tell me! You're running a daycare center?!" Fowler looked at each of them, and Kirin looked away when his gaze fell on her.

"Wait a minute!" he says, pointing at her. "I know you! You're the Volkovs' daughter!"

 _Ah crap!_

* * *

 ** _Hope you liked this chapter!_**

 ** _Please review._**


	10. Chapter 10

_**Kirin and the gang meet their first Decepticons.**_

 _ **(FYI-Totally Miko's fault.)**_

 _ **Darkness Rising Pt. 3**_

* * *

Kirin took a step back as Agent Fowler walked towards her.

"Alright! That's it! You, young lady," the agent said, pointing at Kirin, again, before pointing at the others, too, "and you three, are coming with me - for your own protection!" Right before Fowler could get any closer, a large, red-plated metal foot blocked his path.

" _We're_ protecting them!" stated Cliffjumper. Kirin let out a breath of relief.

Agent Fowler, obviously not liking Cliffjumper's blatant disrespect, scowled up her guardian, and said, "Is that so?" The federal agent then turned sharply and began heading towards the phone by the stairs. "Well maybe you can explain that to my superiors at the Pentagon!"

"Don't use that phone! It's-" Bulkhead shouted, then leaned down and crushed the phone with his over-sized index finger. "out of order." Kirin had to stifle a laugh at the look of complete and utter shock and annoyance plastered on Agent Fowler's face. She then watched as the man released the now-useless phone, leaving it to dangle an inch or so from the ground, and glare at Bulkhead.

"This isn't over, big butt! Not by a long shot!" shouted Fowler, stomping back up the stairs. Kirin remained silent as Fowler walked back to the elevator and stepped back inside. Only when the elevator's metal doors slid shut, and Fowler was on his way back up to the roof, did she finally say something: "I am going to be in SO much trouble if he tells my parents that I'm here."

"How does he even know your parents?" asked Miko, putting her hands on her hips.

"My parents work for the government," she explained, crossing her arms. "My dad designs weapons, and my mom's one of their scientists - Fowler probably works at the same base they do, and he's probably the same big-mouthed Fowler my dad complains about from time to time."

Miko's eye's widened in shock before they narrowed questioningly. "Whoa! Hold up!" demanded Miko. "You mean that **yo** **ur** parents work for the Big Man, and you didn't see fit to tell us?! Why?" The pink-banged teen then turned her gaze towards Jack and Rafael, causing the two boys to flinch slightly. "Did you two know anything about this?"

Jack adverted his gaze, and scratched the back of his head. "Maybe..." he said.

"Possibly," answered Rafael, looking at the floor.

"Unbelievable!" exclaimed Miko, stomping her foot and throwing her hands into the air. Kirin just sighed and pinched the bridge of her nose, she had a feeling that it was going to be a LONG day.

"Miko," she said. "Can you please calm down? It's not that big of a deal."

Miko just harrumphed, crossed her arms, and turned on her heel, giving Kirin the 'cold shoulder.' Kirin sighed and shook her head, this was one of the many reasons why she chose not to make friends whilst in school. Instead she chose to spend most of her time with her family and furthering her knowledge. It may seem like a lonely life to others, but it was enough for Kirin (and besides, her parents never bothered to encourage her, or her brother, to make friends with other people). _Guess that's why Ratchet and I 'get along,'_ she thought with a small smile. _We both prefer the company of our books to the company of other people._

Suddenly, Cliffjumper's voice cut through her thoughts: "What are you smiling about, Rin?"

Kirin blinked, then looked up at Cliffjumper, her smile broadened a bit. "Nothing important, Cliff." she said. Her red-plated guardian smiled down at her in return, then turned his attention to Bulkhead when the other Autobot asked him something. Then the alarm went off, green lights flashed in sync with the alarm.

"My ears!" whined Rafael, covering his ears.

"It's an S.O.S.," says Bulkhead, walking over to the console. The green bot's toned quickly changed to surprised, though, when he saw who it was from: "From Fowler!" Bulkhead's hands hovered over the screen, clearly unsure of what to do. When the lights and alarms ceased, Bulkhead pulled away from the console. Kirin looked down at Raf, he shared her look of confusion, then looked back up at Bulkhead, and said, "Did you trace it?"

"Location scan was incomplete," answered Bulkhead. He spared the console another look before shrugging and turning away. "Oh well."

"'Oh well?!' Seriously?!" demanded Jack.

Kirin looked at Jack, he held a mix look of surprise and shock, and his eyes were wide, then looked at Bulkhead. She could understand Jack's shock, but she didn't share it, though.

Bulkhead turned, and looked down at them. "Fowler's a jerk!"

"Wow! Whether you like the guy or not, the Decepticons may have him."

Kirin nodded in agreement. "And Agent Fowler knows your location."

That made Raf cringe slight. Her young friend gulped nervously. "Our location."

Kirin frowned slightly, and placed her hand on his shoulder, hoping to reassure him.

A moment later, Miko jumped in. "And did we not just see how fast Fowler backs down from a bot? The 'Cons will totally make him squeal!"

"Yeah, but we lost the transmission, guys, Fowler could be anywhere." offered Cliffjumper.

Kirin hummed in agreement, then her eyes widened. "But maybe we can narrow it down." she said. "About five years ago, the government started micro-chipping their agents. You know, like owners do with pets."

That earned her a few curious looks, she just shrugged. "What? My parents told me. Anyways, I think that this can help us find Agent Fowler."

"How?" asked Miko.

Kirin smiled, then nodded down at Rafael. "Raf?" she said.

Raf nodded back, and took his computer from his backpack. "If I can hack into the Feds' mainframe, maybe I can pinpoint Fowler's coordinates."

"You know how to hack?!" Miko asked, surprised. "But you're like... two years old."

"Twelve," corrected Raf, pushing his glasses back up. "And a quarter."

* * *

"Latitude: 39.5. Longitude: 116.9." instructed Raf, not looking up from his computer screen. Behind them, Kirin could hear Cliffjumper and Bulkhead powering up the ground bridge. A moment or two later, a swirling, green-blue portal appeared.

"OK, wait here," ordered Bulkhead, walking past them with Cliffjumper following close behind. Kirin nodded up at him as he passed, her friend smiled down at her.

"Awww! Don't break up the band you guys!" complained Miko.

Before the two robots ran into the portal, Bulkhead turned around and pointed at Jack. "Ah! Jack! You're in charge!"

Kirin shook her head, and sighed, "They always have to put the boys in charge. Right, Miko? Miko?" When Miko didn't answer, Kirin looked beside her, only to see that the pink-banged teen was gone. Looking around, Kirin nearly fell over in shock when she spotted Miko sneaking into the swirling mass after the bots. Making a split-second decision, Kirin groaned in annoyance, and darted forward into the ground bridge.

When Kirin exited the portal, she took a moment to collect herself. It felt almost as if her bones were vibrating. After the sensation passed, Kirin took in her surroundings. She was in a shallow gorge, medium to large boulders were littered everywhere (which was to be expected), but rocks weren't the only things she saw. Ducking behind the nearest boulder, Kirin breathed deeply to calm herself because a ways down the gorge, a dozen off those purple bots from town were walking around, guns raised, and further down, a large spaceship loomed. A sudden presence close behind her made Kirin's eyes widen. Whirling around, she caught Miko's wrist.

"Whoa! It's just me!" said Miko, tugging her wrist free.

Schooling her expression, Kirin sighed, "Sorry, Miko. Bad habit."

Suddenly, Bulkhead's voice sounded behind them. "Kirin?! Miko?! What are you two doing here?!"

Before either of them could answer, the sound of something powering up caught their attention. Turning slightly, and looking up, Kirin and Miko were greeted by one of the purple bots' guns.

"Oh unwise." said Miko. Kirin could only nod in agreement.

 _Looks like I was right,_ she thought, gulping. _It really is going to be a long day._

* * *

 ** _I hope you all enjoyed this chapter. Next one will be a time skip - haven't decide how far, though._**

 ** _Please review._**

 ** _:)_**


	11. Chapter 11

**_When Kirin starts acting strange, Damian gets curious._**

 ** _After Darkness Rising Pt. 5_**

* * *

Damian knew that Kirin was hiding something from him, and that was something that didn't happen often. Usually, Damian wouldn't care that Kirin had her little secrets but when he caught sight of a rather large, ugly-looking bruise and some cuts on her left arm, he got curious and mad. And when Damian Volkov got curious, things got interesting. No one messed with his sister and got away with it.

At first, Damian waited to see if Kirin would tell him herself, but it soon became apparent that she had no intentions of doing so what so ever after she told Damian to drop it when he asked how she had gotten the bruise and the cuts on her arm. When that happened, Damian kept a closer eye on his twin and tailed her whenever she left house for her so-called 'club'. That raised red flags in Damian's mind almost instantly. Kirin didn't do clubs, because it meant that she wouldn't have time for her projects and the research their mom had her do. Something was up with Kirin and Damian was sure that this club had something to do with it.

He couldn't go to his parents for help, even though he desperately wanted to, but when it came to Kirin and matters like this his parents were out of the ball park. But Kirin's strange behavior wasn't only thing that bothered him. His sister was getting sicker than she usually did. Unknowingly to Kirin that was one of the deciding factors for them moving to Jasper, their parents thought that a change would help with Kirin's slowly declining health.

Tapping the butt of his pencil on his desk for a few moments Damian sighed, pushed himself away from his desk and left his room. As he headed for the stairs Damian cast a glance at Kirin's closed door and considered checking up on her, but decided against it when a series of loud honking erupted from the front of the house. Kirin's door opened and his sister emerged with her laptop bag. When she saw him a small smile appeared on her face, Damian smiled back and the two of them walked downstairs together.

"What time are you going to be home?" He asked when they got out on the porch.

"Why?"

Damian shrugged, and said, "No reason. But since it's just us, again, tonight I thought that we could go out for dinner." He mentally kicked himself when he saw Kirin's smile turn into a frown.

"Oh," She said, casting her eyes downward, "I was hoping Mom and Dad would be here later. I wanted to show them my latest project."

Damian reached forward and gave his sister's hand a reassuring squeeze. "You can show me when you get back. You know that I'm always interested in your projects." He said.

Kirin sighed, and smiled at him. "Thanks, Ian. And, yeah, I would love to go out to eat when I get back, which should be no later than five." Leaning forward, Kirin pressed her forehead to his and squeezed his hand one last time before letting go and walked towards the red Charger parked at the curb.

Damian watched as his sister got into the car, hoping to get a look at the driver but all he could see was a shadowed outline. When the car finally pulled away, Damian sighed and went back inside. Going back upstairs, Damian heads into his room and takes his laptop out of his backpack. Turning it on, Damian was greeted by a red blinking blip on his radar screen. Rubbing his hands together, Damian prayed that Kirin didn't discover the tracking device he installed in her computer.

* * *

Kirin gasped and flinched in pain when her arm hit Cliffjumper's door. Gently, she rubbed her arm until the pain subsided into a dull ache.

"You OK, Rin?"

Kirin nodded. "Yeah, just hit my bruise by accident."

"Has the swelling gone down any since yesterday?" asked the robot.

"Yeah, and the color has cleared up some too."

"Hmm...Hey, Rin, I know it isn't really any of my business but your brother looked a little worried. Is something going on?"

Kirin sighed and looked out the window. "It's nothing, Cliffjumper, Damian just saw the bruise on my arm, that's all."

Mentally, Kirin made a note to come up with a good excuse to tell her brother when she got home later. She hated having to lie to her twin but it was a necessary evil in order to keep him safe. If she were to tell him any of this and he were to get hurt, Kirin would never forgive herself. Losing her grandparents was hard enough, she would die if she lost Damian.

"I don't blame him, you were lucky to just to walk away from that fall with just a bruised arm - you could have broken your arm." said Cliffjumper, turning off road. Kirin hissed through her teeth as she was jostled to and fro, causing her arm to hit the door quite a few times.

"You OK?" asked Cliffjumper when she exited him, computer bag in hand. Kirin waved him off and made her way over to the stairs, making the climb to the 'Human Area' (as Ratchet liked to call it). Jack and Miko were already there, both were on the couch playing the racing game that Rafael had brought over from his house the other day. Walking past the couch, Kirin snatched a pillow and made her way over the wall, sitting down with her computer in her lap. Taking a moment to calm her nerves, Kirin forced the pained tears away and asked Miko if she had the ice pack she said she would bring. Kirin was relieved when Miko took a chilled ice pack from her bag and brought it over to her. The cold felt good against her warm skin, and it soothed the pain considerably.

"Your arm feeling any better, Kirin?"

Turning to the left and looking up, Kirin met Optimus' concern gaze with a small smile on her face. "It's better than yesterday and the pain isn't as bad as before, so I'll be fine in a few days or so."

The red and blue 'Bot nodded and walked over to where Cliffjumper and Arcee were talking over by the ground bridge controls, and at that moment Bumblebee rolled into the hanger. The yellow and black muscle car's passenger door open and let it's brown-haired passenger exit. Rafael was quick climbing up the stairs, and made his way over to Kirin.

"Hey, guys!" Raf said, throwing his backpack on the ground beside the couch.

"Not now, Raf, I'm about to kick Jack's butt!" replied Miko.

Raf nodded and took the remaining spot on the couch, waving hi to Kirin. Waving back, Kirin removed the ice pack from her arm and pulled her laptop into her lap. Turning it on, Kirin began working on her reports, things were apparently quiet so she might as well get some work done before she was taken home.

-&*%-

She had been right about everything being quiet at the base, no Decepticon trouble of any kind (though she had a feeling that had something to do with their leader dying), and everything was quiet as Cliffjumper drove her home.

"See you Monday, Cliffjumper!" said Kirin before the Autobot's door closed behind her.

"See ya, Rin!" He said. Then he was off.

While walking towards the house, Kirin thought that she saw something move out of the corner of her vision. Looking over to her right, she peered down the street and managed to catch a glimpse of a black and white car - a police car, she realized - driving down the street towards her. Shrugging it off as a routine patrol, Kirin made her way to the front door and walked inside. If she had stayed outside a little longer, Kirin would have seen the car's driver flicker slightly.

* * *

 _ **Hope you all like this new chapter.**_

 _ **:)**_

 _ **Please review!**_


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